He Would Never
by cruellasdarling
Summary: Robin and Regina are best friends. Regina is married to Leopold. One night Robin wakes up to a bruised Regina at his front door. Future Romantic OQ. tw: mention of domestic violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Big thanks to Chelsea, Sara, Ayla and Laura for betaing/test-reading this. This will be a multi-chaptered fic. Hope you enjoy it!**

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He's awoken by the rapid knocks on his door. They get louder by second as he pulls from sleep and end for a few seconds, before starting again. Loud, sharp, fast knocks at three in the morning to disturb him were not exactly what Robin had in mind. Still, he wandered into the hallway to check on his visitor. The sight that met him when he finally reached the door and opened it was terrifying.

Her hair was a mess, her eyes swollen, blood trickling from a bruise near her hairline. She didn't notice him at first, due to her frantically checking the space behind her for something. There was pure fear in her eyes when she finally turned back to him, jumping slightly at his sudden appearance.

'Regina?' , came his voice after a few moments. The woman in question took a step forward and fell into his arms, loud sobs wracking her body. Robin's arms immediately closed around her, one hand slipping into her hair and lightly caressing her scalp in an attempt to soothe her. A short look is thrown behind them to check for anyone and he closes the door, turning the key in the lock for good measure.

He returns his hand to her back, stroking it with slow movements, which seem to be doing the trick. The sobs get less and change to a quiet whimper. After moving them to the living room, Robin pulls her down onto the couch with him, continuing to calm her with his warm palms. Now and then he presses a light kiss to her forehead or reminds her she's safe with him, she's safe here.

Minutes pass as she becomes quieter until the crying has turned down, replaced by her deep breaths as Robin hugs her to him. Regina presses her nose into his neck and inhales deeply, it seems to calm her even more as the tension he felt in her back lessens. Neither says a word for some time, before Robin decides to break the silence.

'Will you tell me?'

Her only response is a small, 'Mhh?' as she stares of into the distance and he repeats himself.

'Will you tell me what happened, Regina?'

She swallows heavily before answering, 'I can't… At least not yet, Robin…I…I can't.' The words seem to get stuck in her throat and tears gather in her eyes again as she leans back to look at him, which leads Robin to wipe them away with the pad of his thumb and reassuring, 'It's okay. Take the time you need. Just know that I'll be there for you. I mean I'm your best friend.' He throws in a smile for good measure and Regina nods a silent _thank you_.

'Now,' Robin starts again, 'should we get you cleaned up and changed into new pajamas? You can have my bed for the night.' Regina nods again, uses the back of her hand to remove the wetness sticking to her cheeks and inhales deeply one time, before taking the hand offered to her and following him to the bathroom.

He sits her down on the bathtub and cleans her face with a warm wash cloth, inspecting the small split wound in the process, which gladly doesn't need any stitches. Robin knew exactly what had happened; he won't speak his thoughts out loud though until she's ready to talk about it so he keeps them to himself. No, he wouldn't say anything yet, but he could think about what he wanted to say.

 _God_ , he wants to slap this bastard, this disgusting man priding himself with having Regina as his wife. He doesn't deserve her, doesn't deserve this wonderful, kindhearted woman and it's not like it was her choice to marry a man twice as old as her. No, it's been her mother's decision, a decision in which Regina had very little to say. As soon as he knows Regina is well again he will deal with both of them, but now his focus is on the precious woman in front of him.

When he's done cleaning her face, Robin turns to retrieve a bathrobe from a hook nearby, placing it on the toilet lid and directing his speech at her again.

'I'll get you some things to wear. Do you want to take a bath or a shower?'

She shakes her head from side to side and Robin makes his way to his bedroom, where he collects a pair of grey sweatpants, which had shrunken during the last wash, and a plain white t-shirt. When he returns, Regina has already stripped her clothes and changed into the warm bathrobe. She's combing her hair with the brush he keeps in the top drawer just for her, seemingly absent to his presence so Robin makes himself known by clearing his throat.

A smile is thrown his way, it does not reach her eyes, but at least she tries and it soothes him nonetheless. After shortly lifting the clothes for her to notice them, he places them on the lid again, takes the ones she had shed and makes his way out of the room, when a small voice pauses his steps.

'Please stay.'

Robin turns to catch Regina's eyes and finds them to be almost pleading him so he nods, throws the clothes into the hamper beside him _-he'll care about those another time-_ and moves to sit beside her. When she stands he hands her the pants and t-shirt, before she turns her back to him. She pulls on the pants, let's the robe fall to the floor and hastily puts on the shirt to protect her skin from either the cold air or his inspecting glances. The robe gets picked up and hung on its hook, before Regina faces Robin again.

'What do you want to do now?", he asks her and she shrugs her shoulders, simply tells him, 'sleep.'

His hand finds hers again, when he nods and walks her to his bedroom. The sheets on the bed are still a mess and Robin has to shake them out along with the pillows, before lifting a corner for her to slip under them, telling her he'll sleep on the couch.

His statement has her eyes shooting up in horror, before she again pleads, 'stay with me' and how could he ever say to no to her. The man throws her a sympathetic smile -'of course I can stay'- and slips in behind her. He's unsure what to do next though. Should he hug her, face her, turn his back to her?

It turns out he needn't have wonder since Regina finds her way to him after mere 5 minutes and rests her head on his chest, before falling into what Robin hopes will be a restful sleep.

But, his hopes are destroyed a few hours later, when loud knocks on his door wake them up again. They're different than the last time; more forceful and both of them know who's standing in front of his apartment.

 _' **Open the door Regina! I know you're in there!'**_

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 **This has been in my head for quite some time now and I just had to get this out now. I still have ideas for this fic, but if you feel inspired to send a prompt, just do so. Chapters will probably get longer :) Thank you for reading and I'd love some reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I know I said the chapters will get longer, but I'm going camping for 10 days so I thought I'd post what I had written already. THANK YOU to everybody who followed/favorited/reviewed the story/me, I'm overwhelmed by how many liked my story! Also thanks to Ayla for doing a quick beta. If you still find mistakes, point me out to them :) Here we go!**

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Robin and Regina have been friends for years by now. They've met in college during their first week when Robin had crushed into a small brunette after taking a sharp turn on his way to the next class. You can't really say they hit it off immediately, but Regina's anger had turned into playful banter after some time and they became close friends. Soon Robin had learned about her weighed past or rather present. He'd known she had a husband; one she didn't really like talk about, which Robin accepted, until it all came crashing down one night, when they'd met at his place.

Regina told him they got married shortly before her 20th birthday, after her mother and he had decided she was a good 'fit'. Robin didn't know a lot about him, but he tried to remember every detail his friend told him that night. His name was Leopold, Leopold King, he was currently nearing the age of 50, Cora met him on a business trip and practically sold her daughter to him, he was wealthy, but most important Regina told him that he was a) an uncomfortable person to be around for her and b) he would show her off like a price, but didn't force anything of her. Yes, he had spoken wishes and became demanding from time to time, but had never put up a fight when Regina left his wishes unfulfilled.

Things have changed though, because currently there's a bruised and frightened Regina in his arms and a very angry Leopold at his door, demanding to be let it and telling them he won't leave without _his wife_.

'I know you're in there! Open the door or I will tear it down myself!`

Leopold knows about Robins existence, he knows who he is, where he lives and when he spends time with Regina, he _allows_ their friendship, but yet they've never met.

Regina buries her head into his neck, trying to escape what she hopes is just another nightmare. But deep down she knows that this feels far too real to be a dream. It's been going on for quite some time now. Robin knew something has been off during the last few months, though Regina didn't tell him so. More than once she seemed jumpy when they met, but whenever he asked her if everything was okay she just shrugged it off, telling him not to worry. She smiled less, talked less and held on to him longer than usual when he hugged her every now and then. She was certainly seeking his comfort more often. Besides those differences, Robin also caught on to something else. Whenever the topic of Leopold came up she tried to lead the conversation elsewhere, not reassuring him about her well being like usual. She seemed to be afraid of the topic, afraid of Leopold and he won't sit around and do nothing about it. Robin loosens his grip on Regina and tries to leave the bed, when her arms tighten around his torso, tears gathering in her eyes when she asks him, 'Where are you going?'

'Making sure he does leave without you, of course,', he tells her, but he should've known she would react with a shake of her head and a clear, 'No!' He tries to reassure her, 'I'll be back I promise. You can stay here.' But she refuses again, 'No if you're going, I'm going!' She's still afraid, but it seems she's afraid something will happen to him, so he gives a short nod and holds out a hand for her when he climbs out of bed. He lifts a finger to his lips and receives a nod in return, before Robin leads them down the hall as the knocks get louder and Leo's voice can be heard again.

'Whatever you two are doing in there, I won't allow it anymore. Regina is **mine**.'

Robin nearly seizes at his words, is about to rip the door open when a small hand on his biceps stops the action. There's that silent plea in her eyes again and Robin lets his hand fall away from the handle. Instead, he chooses to take a look through the fish eye and his gaze falls upon his best friend's husband for the first time. He's small, smaller than he thought and since he is alone and doesn't seem to be very strong, Regina will be safe tonight. Of course the man is threatening to "tear down the door", but his threats are empty.

Robin locks a small chain to the door and reassures Regina, Leopold won't be stepping a foot into his flat tonight and takes her hand to pull her back to the bedroom.

'Wait', her whisper interferes, 'I don't want him to stay there the whole night.' Tears are sticking to her cheeks and Robin capitulates. He opens the door, the chain keeping it from opening more than a crack, and is faced with the gray-haired man.

'You!', the man spits, 'I should've known you were out for more than friendship! She is my wife! She belongs to me!'

Robin doesn't react to anything the older man says, instead he throws him a stern look and tells him 'I will only ask you once to leave my apartment building, because for once Regina isn't anybody's to take and second you are currently disturbing other residents and I will have the police remove you if you do not do so yourself.'

Leopold is stunned for a moment, but takes a step back and murmurs a, 'I'll be back', before turning and leaving the building as asked of him.

The door gets shut again and both adults move towards the bed again. Sleep does not come for either of them and so they give up trying and just cuddle close instead. Robin starts talking to get her mind set on other things. He settles for some stories, stories to make her laugh. Some of them are fictional, some are about his friends and some focus on his childhood. He only succeeds partly, since he does make her laugh a bit at the stupidity of most of the tales, but he noticed she would get silent whenever he told her about his childhood. But not only would he get silent, she seemed to be lost deep in thought every time and Robin would have to call her name a few times, before she focused her attention on him again. Something about his childhood nicks her, so the man settles for something different. A fairytale his parents used to read him before bed. He puts in much effort for each voice of the different character, but the woman next to him does not seem to care, still he keeps it up.

'Robin?', her voice interrupts him when he's about two thirds in the story, 'there's something I need to tell you.'

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 **Thanks for reading! See you in 10 days I hope! Reviews are appreciated :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here you go guys. Chapter 3. Only a tad longer, but I'm getting there. Enjoy! (re-edited cause the side messed with it)**

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 _If Robin Locksley's mother knew that her son would be late for class yet again, she would certainly feel personally insulted. Both his parents were of British blood and oh-so-cliché raised him to always be polite. And that their son sure was; only did he not count punctuality for being polite, which his parents surely did. Whether it was for school, appointments or family gatherings, he certainly knew a way to make a big entrance – by being multiple minutes too late or rushing in at the last second._

 _His parents had hoped that, once he left for his stipendium in the US, this specific character trade would fade. It was no surprise to them when it didn't. Three days in and Robin was late for what felt like the tenth time. He had actually made it to his first class on time today, but got lost in thought afterwards and took the wrong turn on his way to the next class._

 _Now he found himself completely lost, lost and late. Robin takes a full turn and rushes down the hall, hoping to remember where he just came from, when he goes right and knocks over whatever was coming his way._

 _'What the hell?!'_

 _A low voice meets his ears, paired with a hiss and the sound of books falling to the floor. He bows down immediately, gathering some papers and murmuring out apologies, they get stuck in his throat as soon as he lifts his head and takes in the beautiful brunette in front of him. She's a bit shorter than him; would be if she took off those killer heels; her raven hair is styled in big blown out curls, the strands only highlighting her well defined face. Her full lips are painted in a dark red, the color in perfect harmony with the different browns of her eyes, all set on a smooth canvas of olive toned skin._

 _Robin just gawks at her, completely enthralled by her looks and only brings himself to close his mouth, when she gives him the evil eye and snaps her belongings from his grasp._

 _'Look where you're going, idiot!'_

 _Robin tries to defend himself 'I'm sorry, but I was in a hurry. I hope I didn't hurt you, milady', he tells her when he finally remembers how to speak. The woman rolls her eyes. 'Of course you were. And so far you've only hurt my patience. Now please go out of my way!'_

 _Robin does as she tells him to and watches her way down the hall. And, well, who can blame him if his eyes travel a little more south at the sight of her backside._

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 _It's already afternoon when she meets him again. After her last class she had gone to a nearby café, seated herself at a table by the window and busied herself with some Algebra._

 _She's scribbling down some notes, when a shadow is thrown over her table. A short glance tells her what person decided to interrupt her – the British resemble of a wall that ran into her just this morning – and turns her attention back to her notebook.  
'I did not ask for your presence, nor do I have the need to offer you the other chair.', she sighs, but the man still sits down and doesn't make a move to leave and defending his choice by simply telling her, 'Good to know that this chair doesn't belong to you and I'm free to sit on it, right?', when she sends him an angry glare. She huffs, tells him 'yeah…' and sets to just ignore him. Her intruder doesn't seem to care though and starts talking to her._

 _'You know, I'm still sorry about today, so how about I make it up to you and buy you a coffee?'. Regina keeps her gaze fixed on the notebook in front of her as she informs him 'I've already got myself a coffee.'  
'I know milady,' she can't help, but roll her eyes at the name, 'but you see, your coffee is almost empty and I assume has already gone cold as well.'  
Showing her annoyance this time, she tells him, 'Since you didn't seem to catch it the first time I'll tell you again. No, I don't want a coffee.'_

 _The man is persistent though and offers, 'Maybe some baked goods instead?'  
Her reply is short and she hopes it'll send him off. 'On a diet.'  
To her disappointment, he answers again and she can hear he's somewhat confused as he asks her 'Why?'  
Regina tries hard to keep from grinning at her own reply as she says, 'So I have an excuse for dumping man who seem to think they can seduce a woman by offering her caffeine and ... sugar.' It's told by her with a point of finality, but the last word turns into a soft whisper as she lifts her gaze and takes him in completely for the first time. She has to bite her tongue, when she's to find out that he's absolutely handsome and she only disdains him more._

 _Sure, she's seen him already, but just as she did a few minutes ago, she hadn't really taken a good look at him. She remembers his beautiful, blue depths though, them being the only thing she'd noticed this morning along with his accent. God, his accent annoys her, though she can't really tell why. But now she not only notices his eyes, but also the small crinkles around them, the dazzling smile paired with a rather hot bite to his lower lip and a set of dimples that could make everybody weak in the knees. Regina kicks herself mentally when she notices or rather admires the blond stubble adorning his face, which he's currently running a hand through as her mouth falls slightly open._

 _A small nod is thrown her way and he stands to leave as he speaks, 'I'm sorry. I didn't realize I came off this way. I'll leave you to yourself now.' He smiles, tells her his sorry's again and turns to leave. Regina can't believe the next words leaving her mouth were actually spoken by her and wonders what changed about her opinion she had on him, but it's too late now and she tells him 'I guess another coffee and some boring small talk won't hurt though.'_

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'What is it?', he asks and waits for her to continue. 'I don't know for sure yet', Regina begins, 'but I think I might be… I might be pregnant.' Robin doesn't react just yet and simply gives her arm a sympathetic squeeze, before she speaks again.

'I don't know what I should do, Robin.' Her admission is followed by a small sob and he can tell she's trying to fight back the tears.

He simply nods and tells her 'I can't make a decision for you, but whatever your choice is, just know that if that's what you want, we're gonna do it.'  
At first Regina thinks she must've misheard him; he said _we_ , _we are_ not just her, but _we_. Disbelief is painting her voice when she reassures herself and asks the man beside her 'we?'  
He seems thrown off so she asks again 'You said _we_ are going to do it?' His brows draw together and she's met with a small frown when he looks her way. 'Of course I said _we_. Regina you are my best friend and I love you way too much to let you go through this all on your own!'

She cuddles closer to him, wipes away some escaped tears on his shirt and tells him, 'Thank you', trying hard not to let her voice break at the meaningful words. He's squeezing her arm again and starts speaking, 'You know, before you decide anything, maybe we should know the different options.' 'And what options do you have in mind?', she asks him.  
'Well, first of all you need to ask yourself if you feel up to carrying this child. You could get an abortion, if you decide against it. We would find a good clinic for you and make sure you're being well cared for.' His hands are absently stroking her arm, comforting her as he continues and she simply listens to his soft voice.

'If you decide you want to carry the child to term, we would visit those pre-natal courses everybody makes fun of, but secretly still takes part in.' He gets a small smile out of her at that. 'Then, when the baby arrives you could consider adoption, of course we would have to inform us earlier about the best agencies, but it wouldn't be a final decision yet. Or you could keep the baby, raise it and become a mother, but just know that you won't be alone.'

'Mother…', Regina lets the world roll over her tongue. 'Could you imagine me as a mother?', she asks somewhat sarcastically, though it seems forced. Robin doesn't hesitate to answer her with an 'I imagine you would be a wonderful mother. You'd be loving and caring, those are some of your best character traits.

After some time thinking, she speaks up again, 'Robin?'  
'What is it?'  
'I think I want to keep the baby.'  
'Okay', he answers without any judgment in his voice and Regina silently asks herself how she got so lucky to have Robin as her friend.

'So…', he speaks into the silence, 'What's next?'  
Regina swallows, nudges her head into his direction and tells him, 'Next… We should find out if my assumption is true…'  
'We can get a pregnancy test for you tomorrow', he nods, but she informs him that won't be necessary and moves to get up at his questioning glance. When she reaches the bedroom door, Regina motions for him to get up and makes her way to the bathroom.

Robin steps into the room behind her and flicks on the light, watching her as she retrieves her jacket from the hamper and slipping out a small box. There's a slight amusement in his eyes as she shows him the pregnancy test and waits for a reaction.

'So we're doing this now?', he asks, giving her a sympathetic smile as she nods.  
'Ok, I'll leave you alone then. I'll be just outside', he tells her, but she holds him back and asks him to stay with her. 'I don't think I can do this alone, Robin. I'm afraid.' Her voice sounds almost desperate she thinks, but she doesn't care, because she knows that Robin certainly doesn't care as well.

He nods and sits down on the bathtub, busying himself by studying some water stains on the wall. It amuses her, because even though she asked him to stay, he still respects her privacy and she can already feel her fears lessen.  
The toilet lid makes a faint clink as she opens it and shimmies her (or rather his) sweatpants and underwear down to her knees.

Turns out it's not that hard peeing on a plastic stick after all, Regina thinks afterwards, but it's the waiting that's slowly killing her. Robin had taken hold of the pregnancy test and had placed into the sink as Regina got dressed again and washed her hands, before she sat next to him. He holds the white stick out to her, but she shakes her head, preferring him to hold it, because god knows what she'd to do it in her frenzy mode. His free hand gets captivated by her though, as she scoots closer and rests her head on his shoulder. 'How long?', she asks him, while he's checking his watch and he tells her, 'about 30 seconds left'. Regina squeezes her eyes shut and tries to calm her breath, as the seconds tick by.

'Time is over', Robin speaks into the silence. Her eyes need some time adjusting to the lights again, but then she looks down into Robin lap and she's got her answer.

Regina takes the test from his hand and she can't quite believe what she's seeing.

She's going to be a mother.

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 **Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back and I'm bringing you chapter 4! I hope you like it.**

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' _Who is Robin?', he asks her one day, while they're having dinner. Regina shifts her gaze to his. 'Mhhh?' 'Robin? The guy who's been texting you all week.' 'You've been going through my phone?', she asks him with disbelief. Leopold rolls his eyes at her, 'I'm not going through your phone. I simply happen to catch a glance of it once in a while. You aren't all that subtle about the messages, since they appear on your lock screen all the time.' She takes a mental note to change that later, before speaking up again, 'That still doesn't allow you to read my texts or the notifications if we want to be petulant.' The man in front of her sighs, 'Oh, come on Regina. We're married; clearly I'm not the one being petulant.'_

 _The simple reminder of their marriages, makes her want to punch him in the face, but she stays still as she informs him, 'Yes, we are_ married _and thus you shouldn't be worrying about Robin, he's simply someone I met on the campus.'_

' _So you're friends?', Leopold keeps interrogating her. She tries to swallow down her anger at him and tells him, 'I suppose so. We haven't known each other very long yet, but we're friends, nothing more.' She takes a swig from the wine glass, before picking up knife and fork again as he speaks up yet again._

' _Can I meet him?'_

 _Her answer is slightly hissed as she asks him 'Why?'  
_ 'Why?' _Leopold chuckles, 'Well,_ _I'd like to know who my wife makes_ acquaintances _with.' She's done now, fuming inside and she can't keep her anger to herself anymore. 'I do not make_ acquaintances _as you so nicely put it. If I meet people I want to befriend, then I might do as I like to. I don't have to introduce them to you or defend the relationship I have towards them. You are not to tell me who is allowed to be my friend or who isn't. And you are_ _ **not**_ _allowed to go through my phone or read what's on my lock screen.'_

' _Are you quite done yet?', Leopold interrupts her, rolling his eyes once again. The rage is captivating her, towering inside of her body and she has to support herself a bit by resting her hand on the table as she moves to stand. 'No, I'm not done!', she yells at him, 'I am allowed to do what_ _ **I**_ _want! You can't tell me how to live my life!' Taking hold of her wine glass, Regina turns away from the table and most importantly Leopold, before making her way towards the study. He knows better than to follow her._

 _He doesn't dare to say a word to her later when she's getting ready for bed and she's glad, because she needs to catch some sleep before she'll be able to talk to him again. As he grunts his way into bed beside her though, he moves to take her in his arms and Regina immediately regrets getting loud earlier. He's always like this after they had a_ fight _as he calls it. But he's wrong, because yes, this is a fight, but it's a completely different one to her as it is to him. To him it's simple; they fight and_ make up _again. That's why he wants to hold her; he thinks they're making up._

 _Regina is fighting everyday though, fighting to survive this life her mother has_ built _for her, fighting the_ affections _of a man she's married to. Every day is a fight and she does not want to_ make up _until she has won. So as Leopold is scooting closer to her, she tells him, 'Don't.', instead of putting through it like she normally does. He gladly gives her more space then, before turning his back to her and going to sleep._

 _His alarm goes off sooner than hers and Regina ignores his question if she's awake yet as he gets out of bed and goes back into a light slumber for another 30 minutes, before hers goes off as well._

 _She spends more time in the bathroom than usual today, taking an extra long shower, styling her hair longer than necessary, applying make-up as if she's got all the time in the world; simply for the sake of not seeing her husband for another 20 minutes. Her breakfast is ready like always when she steps into the kitchen, the coffee probably gone cold already. She still takes a sip though, it is cold, but she doesn't care, it buys her more time of ignoring Leopold, who is currently watching her every move. A glance at_ _her watch tells her he should get going in a few minutes, so she sets down her coffee and masters a 'Good Morning', to the man sitting on one of the barstools._

 _He sends her a smile, it's more unsettling to her than soothing, and repeats the notion. They both fall silent again for some time, but as Leopold takes his suitcase and sets to leave the kitchen, he turns midway and tells her 'I thought about what you said yesterday, Regina. You can be friends with Robin. I give you my trust that this wasn't a wrong decision.' She simply sends him a short nod, because she's certainly not going to thank this man for allowing her to have friends._

'Regina Mills', the secretarian calls through the speaker, before Robin and the woman in question get and leave the waiting room. They had called her gynecologist immediately this morning and thankfully got an appointment another patient had just cancelled and got ready to visit the doctor, neither of them bothering if they missed any college courses. The blonde that's been sitting behind the counter as they entered the doctor's office gets up and shows them to Dr. Nolan's office and informs them the doctor will be joining them soon. They thank her and the woman moves to leave.

The pair sits down and waits for her, neither saying a word. He senses that she's nervous though, having noticed her tapping her hand and foot. His hands cup hers and she sends him a thankful nod as his touch begins to ground her. A young woman joins them, black pixie cut, green eyes and a small, but noticeable bump. She greets them with a big smile, 'Good to see you, Regina', Robin sends his friend a questioning glance at that, but she doesn't seem offended by the use of her first name, instead shaking the doctor's hand with a similar smile. He extents his hand as she moves to greet him, 'Dr. Mary-Margaret Nolan, nice to meet you.' Robin returns the gesture and the woman sits down in her chair in front of them. 'So, how can I help you?'

Regina tells her about her assumption and the three positive pregnancy tests (they had taken some more just to be sure) and the doctor nods along, before asking them to follow her into one of the examination rooms. 'We're going to do an ultrasound at first; if you're at least 5 weeks along we should be able to declare a pregnancy. After that we'll do an additional blood test; to check on your vitals and maybe confirm a pregnancy if our technology doesn't catch anything.' She asks Regina to lie down and bare her stomach, as she gets the equipment and puts on a pair of gloves. Robin takes hold of Regina things, as she does as Dr. Nolan told her. One of her hands is holding her top in place the other searching for one of his. Robin notices and adjusts his hold on her bag to free one of his hands, before encasing hers and sending her a reassuring smile.

The doctor squirts some gel on Regina's belly and turns on the ultrasound, watching the monitor as she searches for any indicators. Robin only sees black and white, but his eyes are still fixed on the screen, just like Regina's, both of them hoping to catch a glimpse of a new life. Dr. Nolan smiles when she freezes the picture and points to a small, dark spot. 'This sack you see here is an embryo in its early stage. Looks like you're about 6 weeks along, you should be experiencing morning sickness, tiredness and sore breast soon.' The pair stares at the monitor in complete disbelief, when the woman adds, 'Congratulations, you're going to be parents!' A tear escapes Regina's eye as Robin meets her gaze again and a huge smile spreads on her face while she tells him, 'I'm going to be a mother.' His smile is just as big as he confirms, 'Yes, you are.'

A black and white picture gets placed into Regina's free hand and Robin has to chuckle when she doesn't even realize he's let go of her hand in order for Dr. Nolan to take a blood sample. When she's done, she hands Robin a towel and packs the sample as Robin cleans Regina's stomach.

She sits up again, her gaze still locked to the blurry picture and Robin gets to admire it as well, when the doctor asks them, 'Would the father like to have a copy for himself to keep?', a big smile spread on her face as she adds 'My husband always gets one for his wallet.' Waiting for Regina to say something about the notion about him being the father, he meets her gaze and she simply shrugs her shoulders, giving him a wide grin. So he nods, tells the doctor he would like that and locks his gaze to the picture again when realization strikes him; he's going to be a father to this child and he couldn't be happier.

Dr. Nolan informs them, she will call them tomorrow about the results of the blood test and another appointment, wishes them _congratulations_ again as she hands Robin the second copy and bids them goodbye.

Robin takes Regina's hand and leads her out of the doctor's office, both carrying a big smile and a picture of _their_ child.

He wants to take her out for something to eat afterwards for celebration, telling her they'd need to cherish the short time she has left where just the thought of food doesn't make her nauseous. She chuckles and informs him, she'll be eating plenty once the cravings kick in, but doesn't reject his invitation.

They settle for some Italian take out, when the restaurant they choose is already full and decide to eat at home. Containers get spread over his coffee table, as they sit down on his couch and turn on the TV for some background noises, not paying it much attention as they get lost in their conversation. The question about her things comes up after some time, as Regina comments on how he'll be running low on clean sweatpants in a short matter of time. She had only brought a small handbag with her when she got to his place, not wanting to stay longer at her house than what it took to pack a pair of jeans, a top and some other necessities.

'Leopold leaves the house for work at 7 every morning…', she informs him and they decide to collect some of her clothing and other things/ belongings, while Leopold isn't at home tomorrow. Their conversation goes back to less serious matters afterwards and they spend the rest of the day in each other's company.

They drive to the house around 8 the next morning, not wanting to risk meeting Leopold if he's too late or comes back for something. The driveway is empty when they arrive, so they get out of the car, take the laundry basket(s) they brought and make their way into the house. Robin throws as many clothing articles into the basket as possible, while Regina collects her make-up, some jewelry and her shoes.

Next they fill a basket with some of her childhood photos (her father had given her one album on each birthday until she was 13 and he had passed away) and all her college supplies, lastly placing her laptop onto the pile. They search for other things that are of high value to her and leave the house at 9:51 am, taking a lot of things with them, not noticing they also left something.

Leopold King gets home late this night, after a long business dinner with a cooperation firm, hoping his wife got her sense back for her own good and finding her at home, having realized she's nothing without him. But the scene he finds is a different one. Yes, she came back, but she didn't come to stay. The living room is almost untouched, so is the kitchen, but her laptop (he should've taken it) is missing from the study as well as her textbooks and notepads. The doors of the cabinets in the bathroom down the hall are standing ajar, her make-up and other cosmetics missing from its usual place. He storms into their bedroom then. It's a mess, jewelry boxes and clothes are strewn everywhere, only some of her dresses remaining on the hangers in the closet.

He moves to leave the room, when he notices something with the corner of his eye. A white, rectangular piece of paper is lying on the ground by the bed and as he picks it up, turning what he thought to be a card he is met with a blurred black and white picture, the name of his wife written in the top right corner and Leopold sees red.

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 **Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

***put Mulan 'I live' gif here* Big thanks to Clare for the fast Beta! I am back after what felt like a decade, but I managed to hop back on the train and I'll try not to keep you waiting that much anymore. Until the, enjoy!**

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' _He asked about you', she tells him the next day. 'He asked about you and allowed me to be friends with you.'_

' _That man seems like the biggest asshole on earth', Robin replies, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. How could anyone treat Regina like he does? 'If I ever get the displeasure of meeting him, remind me of kicking his guts. And if I do it'll hopefully be in court next to a divorce attorney.'_

 _Regina chuckles sadly, pushing her lunch around with a fork rather than eating it. 'You really hate him don't you?'_

' _Understatement of the year', Robin replies, offering her a fry when she's completely mashed her salad into something that resembles spinach. She munches on it for a moment before speaking again, '_ _I don't like that he controls me either. That I have to seek permission from him, but as long as it doesn't get worse, I'll be fine. I should be fine._ _'_

' _You can tell me, you know. If anything… worse happens', he informs her, swallowing at the thought of such thing. She lays a hand atop of his, 'Thank you, Robin. But, I'm fine. He's taking no for an answer so far You don't have to worry about me.'_

' _But, what about the times you don't say no though you want to… I know you don't like to talk about it, but he should know you don't want to even if you didn't tell him so. It still doesn't make it ok, Regina.'_

' _Robin', Regina stops him with a stern gaze, 'You're right this is not a topic I want to talk about and certainly not here.'_

 _They've been talking quietly enough for no one to hear them in the diner, but he complies too her wish and the topic is left aside for the moment._

Robin is clearing a part of his closet, as Regina rummages through her clothes, trying to find an order. They decided not to dwell on their little victory for now and instead chose to fit Regina's stuff into Robin's apartment for now.

He picks up some of the now neatly folded shirts and stores them in the free space he created, when he starts talking. 'I wanted to ask you something…'

Regina lifts her head from the jewelry pieces she's detangling and sends him a questioning glance. 'At the doctor's offices earlier…', he starts, 'Dr. Nolan referred to me as the father of the baby and… you didn't correct her…'  
There's a hint of sadness in her voice when she lets out a soft 'oh…' 'Why didn't you?', he continues. Regina swallows visibly. 'You said you would help me no matter what and I… I just thought… that when you're here with me anyways… then…', she stammers, but Robin is quick to complete her sentence with a simple,'…then I could be the father of this baby.' He gives her a warm smile, but she doesn't notice, eyes fixed on her petite hands that now lay still in her lap, the knot of jewelry forgotten.

She's nodding her head somewhat ashamed, when she admits, 'Yeah… I guess I did think that… But we didn't talk about it and I can't force you to pose as his or her father… and if you don't want to I can't really do something about it… I'm sorry, I just assumed…' 'Regina…', Robin stops her rambling and crouches down beside her, locking his eyes on hers before taking a hold of her hands. His voice is full of sincerity when he informs her, 'I would **love** to be this baby's father.'

'Really?', she asks him in disbelief, wide eyes looking into blue orbs. 'I did promise to be there with you along the way and I'm being completely honest with you, so yes, really.' Regina falls into him at that, slinging her arms around his neck and muffling a million _thank you's_ against his shoulder, as Robin feels his shirt become damp from her grateful tears.

His hands caress the length of her back as he holds her close and rocks her from side to side. When she calms again, Regina pulls back slightly, letting Robin take hold of her face, his fingers wiping at salty tears when he tells her 'Always' and hugs her again. They simply breathe each other in for some quiet minutes, before returning to their prior tasks.

Robin clears a bit more of the closet for her, before moving on to the bathroom cabinet, using the opportunity to throw out some empty or unused products and wipe the shelves. He tries his best at finding an order for the different products he doesn't even know the use of, already knowing she'll probably rearrange it afterwards.

When he steps back into the bedroom he finds most of the baskets empty, shirts, dresses and whatsoever now neatly set aside. Regina has moved to the bed, sitting cross-legged on the covers as she empties one of her purses and rearranges the different contents. Her phone gets plugged in, crumpled bills get collected in a pile on the ground and all types of cosmetics are placed into yet another purse. She's usually so tidy his Regina, Robin muses, but no matter how often he saw her clean her bag the next time he met her it was already a big mess again. How women still knew their way around it, he did not know.

Her ultra sound picture lies in front of her and he watches her slip it into a clear pocket in her wallet,

Robin moves to retrieve his own copy at that, but when his hands slips into the back pocket of his jeans his fingers only find an empty space. He checks the others, but it's gone. 'Shit!', he exclaims, effectively winning Regina's attention, her eyebrows lifted in question. 'I lost it!', he tells her and when she ask him what exactly it he answers 'The picture! I lost the picture!' Her face goes white at that, because she's sure he still had it in the car and _please don't let it be at Leopold's_. 'Maybe it's still in the car', she tries and Robin is already moving to check, when Regina's phone sounds up signaling the income of a text message by none other than her husband.

' **I came home to your little surprise. Big mistake, Regina! Nobody takes my child and leaves; you're in trouble now, bitch.'**

'Robin', her voice is laced with fear, 'What are we going to do?' Tears are gathering in his eyes when he tells her 'I'm so sorry, Regina. This is my fault. I should've kept a better eye on it. He only knows now because of me. I'm so sorry!' 'I'm not mad at you', she whispers meeting his gaze, 'but I need to know how we'll deal with this. I'm afraid, Robin….' They're both silently crying now, holding on to each other's hands for comfort and Robin leans his forehead against hers. 'We'll figure it out. I promise.'

'We should rest for a bit', she concludes, 'before the storm hits us.' Robin simply nods, lying down and pulling her with him. Resting her head on his chest, Regina succumbs to exhaustion. Her friend isn't able to find any sleep though as he buries his nose into her hair, trying to calm his racing heart.

They find themselves awake again an hour later, Leopold once again knocking his fist against Robin's front door with as much force as possible. 'Regina you better come out! I will tear this door down if you don't!'

Rising from the bed, Robin links his hand with Regina's, before they make their way down to the door like they did 3 days ago. Leopold's knocks are violent and full of anger, while he throws multiple insults at the both of them, the door not really doing much in muffling the sound.

'You're both going to regret this! Nobody fucks with Leopold King! I can't believe I even married such a spoiled brat! At least I still got a fucking bed warmer out of it!'

Robin is standing face to face with the man in seconds, having ripped the door open in his anger. He points a finger at the red-faced man, one word sharper than the other as he spits at him, 'You, have absolutely no right to talk to her like that. I don't care if she's your wife, that doesn't make her your property. I don't care about the disgusting deal you made with her mother! But, I do care about her well being and from where I stand you're clearly disrupting it. If you lay one finger on her I will come for you, _Leopold King._ I don't want to see you here anymore and neither does she! I suggest you listen and leave us alone!'

His face seems even redder than before, beads of sweat forming on his temple as Leo locks his eyes on Regina's who's been standing partly behind Robin. 'You won't keep me from my child, bitch!', he yells, taking a step into the doorway. Quick to react, the younger man pushes him away with a hand on his chest, informing him, 'It's my child!', and slamming the door shut.

'You fucking whore! I knew you were having an affair! I always knew! And yet I kept watching you leave to bed that poor excuse of a man! You disgust me, Regina!Fucking whore!'

Angry footsteps sound on the stairs as Leo seems to actually leave and Robin opens the door to check, the last thing they hear from him is a 'I will be back!', before there's silence again.

 _Regina closes the door slowly and trots into the foyer, trying to be as silent as possible, when the light suddenly switches on. Jumping in surprise, she turns around and is faced with Leopold. The man is watching her with disapproval as he asks, 'Where have you been?' 'Out with friends, but I told you already', Regina answers. 'And I already told you I don't believe you.'_

' _That's your problem, not mine', she informs the man, moving to get past him. She did expect for him to react to her sass, but when a sweaty hand grips firmly around her wrist and pulls hard, all air leaves her lungs._

 _He's standing so close. Too close. Spitting in her face when he asks, 'Now tell me, was_ Robin _among those friends?', his voice full of accusation. 'Let go of me!', she demands, but Leo's hold only gets tighter, twisting her wrist in warning. 'Not until you answer my question', he growls into her ear._

 _Tears are forming in her eyes, when his hand turns even more and she tries to rip herself of his grip, answering his question with a loud: 'Yes, he was. Now let me go!'_

 _She does manage to get away, but when the man takes a step towards her and questions her with an angry voice who exactly raised her to speak to her husband that way, Regina knows she made a mistake. Her back meets the nearest wall, when he pushes her into it, hands finding her shoulders and holding her in place. 'You will tell me exactly where you were and what you did! Don't fucking lie to me, bitch.'_

' _I was out with friends, I promise', Regina whispers, her eyes closing as she tries to hold back her tears._

 _Leopold's thumbs dig into her flesh. 'Do you really think I'm that stupid?! I can fucking smell him on you every time you come back from_ your night out with friends _', he spits._

' _We are just friends', Regina tries, not surprised when it doesn't help. His mouth nears her ear and Leopold's voice sounds horrifying as he tells her in slow whispers: 'If you two really think you can hide an affair from Leopold king, you are fucking wrong. I know what's going on, so don't you dare to tell me you're just friends. But, you see, there's a tiny problem, because he might think you're his, when you're so fucking mine!'_

' _I don't belong to you!', she cries angrily. 'Oh, but you do', he cackles into her ear, biting into it, before retrieving his mouth and hovering it over her lips._

' _NO!', she tells him, determining her words with a strong push, 'YOU DO NOT OWN ME!' Fast steps carry her up the stairs, having used his startle as an opportunity to get away._

 _Her temple meets the wood with a loud thump, when her ankle gets incased by his hands and she loses her footing after the violent pull. A flat palm meets her face next and Regina feels her skin crack, the smell of blood filling her senses._

' _Get off me!', she tries to fight back. Hands and legs meeting his legs and head a few time, but Leo simply grips her hands and presses them over her head, pushes a leg between hers and rests his weight on her, nearly suffocating her._

 _The stairs dig into her back and all Regina can do is wait for his next move. She holds her breath, tears slipping freely from her eyes now. His eyes light up at her fear, lips lifting into a satisfied little smile. 'I think someone finally understood. Now why don't I show you, just how much I own you?', he asks her, underlining his word with a roll of his hips._

' _Please, don't hurt me…', Regina begs him, face wet from her tears._

' _Oh, I would never. You're my_ precious _wife after all._

 _Regina doesn't leave the house next day. She pretends to be asleep until Leo leaves the house, before getting herself out of bed and walking to the bathroom. Her wrists are hurting, the skin reddened and sensitive to her own touch._

 _Inspecting herself in the mirror, Regina traces a finger over her bruised cheek, the skin already starting to heal under the brown crust. There are marks scattered over what seems like her whole body - scratches on thighs and handprints on her breasts. She hates herself for not trying to fight harder, the different red and blues reminding her how weak she's been last night. Dirty, that's all she feels. Like a toy that's done its deed and she feels the urge to wash him off her skin._

 _The water is scalding, reddening her skin even more, burning her body, but it's a welcome feeling for Regina. She washes her hair way too many times, scrubs her body raw with a loofa, bruising what was left by her husband._

 _Her phone is ringing, when she gets out of the shower after nearly an hour. The caller ID shows Robin's face, but Regina doesn't pick up, too afraid of talking to him at that moment. After muting it, she moves to the closet, making a point of not looking towards the bed as she gets out a pair of leggings an a sleeve long enough to cover her hands if she needs to. The mirror of her vanity is almost mocking her when she sits down on the stool in front, displaying her facial bruises and a mess of sheets on the bed behind her._

 _She rips them off immediately, stuffing them into one of her clothing bags and hiding it at the back of her closet. She cakes her face with a thick layer of make-up afterwards, not wanting to give Leo the satisfaction of seeing what he did to her._ He didn't do anything _, she tells herself,_ this never happened and nobody will ever find out.

 _The screen of her phone lights up again, Robin calling her for the umpteenth time and she presses the green button this time, still weary of talking to him, but knowing she won't be able to ignore him._

' _Seems like someone needed to sleep of a small hangover. Drank too much wine huh?', he greets her._

' _Mhhh…', she simply replies, picking at her nail polish with her free hand. 'That bad?', he asks with concern, 'do you want me to come over?'_

' _No nononono!', she says way too fast for his liking. 'I'm fine just a bit… hung-over', she lies. But Robin tries again, 'Are you sure? I could come by and watch a movie with you.'_

' _I think I'll just sleep for a bit more, it's okay, Robin', she tells him, sleep being the latest thing on her mind right now. She'd rather bury herself somewhere right about now._

' _Ok… Sleep well then and let me know when you need anything! See you.'_

 _Regina hangs up at that._

'I'm so sorry, Regina! All of this is my fault.'

'No, it's not! It was a mistake, Robin… I can't fault you for that. We both knew he would find out anyway…', Regina informs the worried man.

Robin slumps his shoulder. 'I would have been fine without him knowing for a little bit more though.' Smiling sadly, Regina nods at his remark.

'I'm afraid, Robin', she admits in a small voice, when he engulfs her in a hug.

His hands rub her back as he tells her, 'Don't be. I've got you. We've got each other and I'll do everything to protect this family.'

'I just don't know what he'll do next. This man seems to have no refrain. I don't want him to hurt you too!' Tears are forming in her eyes at the thought.

'I will try my best', he just tells her again.

It's late when Regina sees what exactly Robin is capable of. The doorbell rings shortly after 9pm and Robin gets up to check on it, a gnawing feeling settling in his stomach. The display of the camera, tells him what he's already guessed, when he looks into the mischievous face of Leopold King.

Regina had fallen asleep on the sofa some time ago, so Robin pulls on his jacket and slips through the door, not wanting to disturb her.

The other man is waiting on the front porch, when Robin leaves the hall. His eyes set on Robin, smiling up at him and something about his apparent self-consciousness makes him feel uneasy.

'My my…', Leo cackles, 'You made it easier for me than I thought.' His hand lifts to beckon two tall men towards him, before stepping back and telling them to do as he wished.

And when the first fist meets his nose, Robin knows he's made a mistake by stepping out of his apartment.

He tries to fight back, thoughts of Regina running through his head until they don't and all he sees is black.

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 **Feel free to scream at me in the reviews... Thanks for reading!**


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